An explosion at a major gas export terminal near the city of St Petersburg in Russia was carried out by Ukrainian drones, BBC News has been told. The blast caused a large fire at the Ust-Luga terminal, but no injuries, Russian officials said. An official source in Kyiv said the “special operation” of the SBU security service masterminded the attack, with drones that worked “on target”. Both Russia and Ukraine have used drones in the current conflict. Russia launched its full-scale of invasion of Ukraine nearly two years ago, but has made little progress in recent months. Regarding the explosion near St Petersburg, regional governor Alexander Drozdenko said a “high alert regime” was in place after the incident at the terminal of gas producer Novatek, in Ust-Luga on the Gulf of Finland. He shared a video of what appeared to be a large fire. Novatek later announced that work at the terminal had been suspended, and said the fire was the result of “external influence” – without providing further details. The Ukrainians say fuel processed at the plant was being used to supply Russian troops in their war against Ukraine and that this strike “significantly complicates” logistics for the military. They also describe the attack as an economic blow to Russia, which exports fuel from the terminal.
via bbc: Ukraine drones hit St Petersburg gas terminal in Russia
siehe auch: A Ukrainian drone attack on an oil depot inside Russia causes a massive blaze, officials say. A Ukrainian drone struck an oil storage depot in western Russia on Friday, causing a massive blaze, officials said, as Kyiv’s forces apparently extended their attacks on Russian soil ahead of the war’s two-year anniversary. Four oil reservoirs with a total capacity of 6,000 cubic meters (1.6 million gallons) were set on fire when the drone reached Klintsy, a city of some 70,000 people located about 60 kilometers (40 miles) from the Ukrainian border, according to the local governor and state news agency Tass. The strike apparently was the latest in a recently intensified effort by Ukraine to unnerve Russians and undermine President Vladimir Putin’s claim that life in Russia is going on as normal before its March 17 presidential election. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has vowed to hit more targets inside Russian border regions this year. Russia’s air defenses are concentrated in occupied regions of Ukraine, Kyiv officials say, leaving more distant targets inside Russia more vulnerable as Ukrainian forces develop longer-range drones.